Baseball Game Preview: Spring Lake Park Panthers vs. Elk River Elks

Spring Lake Park is 2-8 against Elk River since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Panthers will challenge the Elks at 4:30 p.m. Spring Lake Park will be strutting in after a victory while Elk River will be coming in after a loss.

Spring Lake Park will bounce into Wednesday's match after beating Osseo, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Panthers walked away with a 6-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.

Matthew Grundtner tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

Colin Welch

Hits (Career)

05/06/25 @ Osseo	3
04/26/25 vs Irondale	2
04/15/25 vs Anoka	2
05/02/25 vs Princeton	1
04/29/25 @ Centennial	1

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Colin Welch, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Ben Balsimo also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Spring Lake Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Elk River started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against St. Michael-Albertville. They fell 11-6 to the Knights on Monday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 23, 2022, but that streak is no more.

Spring Lake Park now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Elk River, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.

Spring Lake Park beat Elk River 14-10 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.